Seven people were taken to hospital after a bus accident near Changi Airport Terminal 2 (T2) yesterday afternoon, with the 62-year-old bus driver having to be extricated from the bus by rescuers in a complex operation lasting 45 minutes.

The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said in a Facebook post that it was alerted to the accident at T2's bus interchange at 12.36pm. It said the bus, which is operated by Go-Ahead Singapore, was found crushed against a concrete pillar.

"The front of the bus was badly crushed inwards, pinning the driver to his seat," SCDF said. Firefighters from Changi Fire Station and the Airport Emergency Service (AES) had to use hydraulic cutting tools to cut open the driver's window to let paramedics provide him with an intravenous drip.

"Due to the complexity of the rescue operation, rescuers from the SCDF's elite Disaster Assistance and Rescue Team (Dart) had to be deployed to the scene," it added.

The Dart rescue vehicle was used to pull the bus slightly from the pillar but without aggravating the driver's injury so as to provide the rescuers a bit of operating space.

The rescuers had to work carefully because of the limited space around the driver and reached him by prising the dashboard that had pinned his legs, using hydraulic rescue equipment.

They freed the driver through the rear doors of the bus. He was taken to Changi General Hospital (CGH) in a conscious state.

Paramedics and medical crews from AES assessed and treated the six passengers before taking them to CGH.

The police said the injured passengers are aged between 24 and 72. They are investigating the cause of the accident.

Go-Ahead said eight commuters were on the bus when the accident happened. Four of the six passengers sent to hospital have been discharged, it added. The remaining two passengers and the bus driver are in stable condition.

A spokesman said the company is cooperating with investigations and helping the families of those injured.